


The Origins of Halstead

by castledfranks



Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: F/M, Jay's background, Military Backstory
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-10
Updated: 2015-01-10
Packaged: 2018-03-07 00:37:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,144
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3154277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/castledfranks/pseuds/castledfranks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Jay's apartment is ransacked thanks to a hit put out on his life, Jay decides it's time for a fresh start. He enlists some of his colleagues at Intelligence to help him back up, and it's a trip down memory lane he never expected.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Origins of Halstead

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for a Tumblr user (I'm halsteadslindsay in case you'd like to find me there) and wanted to post it up here also. So enjoy; comments always welcome and appreciated.

Some people say the war changed him, but Jay didn’t feel any different. Sure, returning from Afghanistan had been a whirlwind of emotion. To be on his home soil, not having to look over his shoulder was definitely a welcomed change. No more sticky heat. No more living in rough terrain. Chicago had never been a cakewalk but it sure beat the Afghan desert.

Even so, he sometimes wished he were back there, fighting alongside his brothers as a sniper with the 75th Ranger Regiment, Bravo Company, 3rd Battalion. The calls that came every once in awhile, telling him another had fallen, just about killed him. He never lost a ranger on his watch. Not one.

Sergeant First Class Jay Halstead.

He always loved the way it sounded. It rolled off the tongue, if nothing else. Didn’t matter to him that no civilian would understand what it stood for. Because he’d know. The 18 men who served on his team – they would know.

He closed his eyes and flashed back to the steamy wasteland.

\----

Wiping beads of sweat from his forehead, he focused his lens on a dark figure inside the compound holding God knows how many POW’s and held his position. To his left, a couple yards out, lay his right hand man, Garrett Kelley. Even from a distance, Jay knew Garrett had his finger resting loosely on the trigger, waiting for any excuse – an unaccounted for movement, a dust cloud, anything – to take a shot.

Just barely 24, Garrett had more balls than anyone in the group. But with them came a host of serious issues: impulsiveness, a lack of accountability, and an inflated ego that almost got Jay and his team killed. That sweltering summer night when their position in the White Mountains just outside of Tora Bora was compromised was one of the scariest moments of his life – and he didn’t scare easily.

Their mission parameters were clear: hold position until the green light was given. Watch, wait, and alert the ground team of any unexplained movement.

Garrett had been too quick to jump. When a dark figure emerged from an obscure cave opening, Garrett charged forward, guns blazing, forgetting every bit of training and direction he was given. Seconds later they were assaulted with a barrage of bullets. They seemed to be coming from all directions, making it difficult for his small aerial team to cover not only their own asses, but also the ground team’s. Jay remembered going through magazines quicker than he could reload. The smoke from the rockets and rapid gunfire clouded his scope, but miraculously he was able to snuff out the offense one by one.

His last shot saved the life of a man he couldn’t imagine living without. Julian Brennan, or “Bear” as he was affectionately named, had fallen between two rocks as a result of a couple crippling bullets to the leg. Jay was able to get a shot off just as an insurgent approached the wounded ranger. That night, back at camp, Bear wept in Jay’s arms behind the privacy of the med tent.

Looking death right in the eye would do that to even the toughest person.

Garrett had gotten demoted that night. Hell if it weren’t for Jay, he very likely would’ve been discharged. But Jay saw potential in the young bronco that just needed to be broken in, and he promised the higher ups that he’d keep him under his thumb and make him the second best sniper they’d ever seen. Behind him, of course. It’d been a long journey, but Garrett had gotten there. He still had to fight the urge to look before he leapt, though.

The POW rescue mission had been Garrett’s time to shine. And he had. Jay barely had to fire shots at the first floor and instead was able to focus on movement in the top two. They successfully rescued all four; no American deaths. Mission successfully completed.

\----

Jay touched the glass of the shadowbox that held various medals he’d received throughout his tour. He smiled when his eyes landed on the picture of his crew. Bear, Garrett, Carter Mackenzie, Hunter Jeffries, Ed Spiegl. He’d never lost touch with any his brothers, but these five held a special place in his heart. Beyond brothers, they were his best friends. He couldn’t wait for them to head to Chicago in a few weeks for a mini reunion. It’ll be nice to see Bear up and walking on his new prosthetics. Lord knows you can’t keep Bear down.

“What box do you want this in?” Erin’s voice brought him back to Chicago. She and a few others from Intelligence had come over to help him pack. Having to clean his place after being ransacked last month made him realized he had too much shit and not enough storage space. He finally bought a modest home just outside the bustle of the city. He’d chosen a place with a beautiful wood-burning fireplace, a mantle for his shadowbox and pictures and a basement with ample space to hang his rifles safely and securely. He couldn’t fucking wait to move in.

He turned slightly to see what she was holding; his Ranger uniform. “Give it here,” he said, waving her over.

Ruzek poked his head through the cutout in his kitchen and smiled. “Nice get-up.”

Jay licked his lip and suppressed a laugh. Damn but Ruzek reminded him of Garrett. “Hooah,” he muttered in response, holding the uniform in front of him and taking a moment to smooth out a wrinkle.

“Hey,” he heard Olinsky bark from the other room. “Show some respect. The Rangers saw more shit than you’ll ever see.”

Jay nodded to himself and lingered just a moment longer before placing his uniform gently in a box amongst his other army items. He could feel Erin’s eyes boring into his back. He pursed his lips playfully and glanced up at her through his lashes. “What.”

Erin curled the left corner of her bottom lip into her mouth and bit down gently, clearly embarrassed she’d been caught. “Nothing,” she said, quickly turning her attention back to the dresser in front of her. “Just never seen you around this stuff. You really miss them, don’t you?”

Again, he nodded. “Every day.”

She looked at him inquisitively.

“They’re my family,” he explained. “The only one I’ve got left.”

“That’s not true,” she said, dusting off a few books before adding them to the box beside her.

“That’s an insult man,” Ruzek interrupted, trotting in and tossing a few kitchen towels into Erin’s box before slapping Jay on the back. “Kinda thought we were family.”

Erin laughed and Jay put his arm around Ruzek. “Oh we are,” he joked as he ruffled Ruzek’s hair in that dramatic older brother fashion.

Ruzek feigned disgust and ducked out of the way. “Yo man, don’t tousle the mane.” He threw a few fake punches, which Jay reciprocated.

“Bunch of teenagers,” Antonio scolded as he and Olinsky carried the bedframe out the front door.

“You’re just pissed you’re not young and spry anymore, old man!” Ruzek shouted through cupped hands.

Erin rolled her eyes and picked up another book. A handful of pictures fluttered to the ground and scattered at her feet. As she bent to pick them up, her breath caught in her throat. This must be Jay’s mother and father she thought as she ran her fingertips over the first photo.

“My mom,” he said over her shoulder. “She was beautiful, wasn’t she?” 

Erin tilted her head to the side and welcomed his thoughts. “You look just like her.”

Jay smiled at the compliment and she flipped to the next. They both let out a laugh simultaneously. “I’ve got a little of my father in me,” he replied as the stared at a picture of him and his father. His dad was flexing his muscles and Jay was standing on the back of the couch, mimicking him.

The next was a photo of him and Allie Corson. Their senior prom.

“Nice curls,” Erin joked in response to the semi-afro he sported right up until enlisting. “Were you planning on auditioning for the Jackson 5?”

“Easy,” he said, snatching the pictures from her hands. “Besides, I’m a little young for that joke, no? Talk to Olinsky; I’m sure he’s got a desk full of sweet pics from the 60’s.”

Underneath his prom picture was another of his parents, this one from a vacation they took before he was born. His dad, who was never known to show too much affection, was planting a loving kiss on his mother’s cheek. Jay loved this picture. It’s one of the only ones he’d managed to save from the fire that claimed their lives when he was just 14. Thank God for the Corson’s. Who knows how he would’ve turned out had they not taken him in.

Erin glanced up and noticed Jay’s laser focus on the photo. “You all right?”

Jay shook the thoughts from his mind and blinked a few times before forcing a small grin and nodding.

“You never talk about them,” she said matter-of-factly.

He sucked in a deep breath and glanced at the kitchen, where Ruzek was playfully teasing Antonio about his age while Olinsky was doing his best to ignore them both. “Don’t,” he warned, and his eyes darted down to his feet. “Not now.” He inhaled sharply and rubbed at his nose before turning back to the dresser.

She nodded and gently placed a hand at the small of his back, circling just once for comfort before going back to work. 

A comfortable silence fell between them and lingered until the apartment cleared out. Erin turned to confirm they were alone before placing a hand on his muscled arm. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“You didn’t,” he replied, not bothering to look at her.

“Okay good,” she said, sliding her hand down and letting it fall to her side. “Just… you know if you need to talk you can lean on me. I’m your partner.”

Jay laughed and raised his eyebrows. “Not for long,” he retorted.

Her jaw dropped open as she quickly glanced towards the door, making sure nobody had returned. “Hey,” she said, playfully punching him in the arm. “Discretion.”

“Does that mean you’ve made a decision?” He tried his best to hide his eagerness to learn. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t have mixed emotions about her leaving Intelligence.

She was quiet for a long time – long enough for the others to come and go with more boxes. Jay was beginning to wonder if she’d ever answer.

“I don’t know,” she finally said, her voice no more than a whisper.

He could tell she was really struggling with the choice, no doubt due to the fact that she’d be leaving Voight after everything he’s done to help her get to where she was. He liked to think that maybe it had to do with leaving him too; their partnership had been solid and they trusted each other explicitly. She wasn’t going to find that again, at least not right away.

The air got heavy; he could feel the tension rolling off her shoulders, so he decided to lighten the mood. “Hey,” he said, causing her to turn to face him once more. “You know, if you go, it won’t be that bad.”

She scoffed. “You trying to tell me you won’t miss me?”

He laughed. “Well…”

She narrowed her eyes with fake hurt and gave him that puppy dog face that made him want to grab her and kiss her.

“I’m just saying,” he said as he inched closer to her, stopping so there was just a hair’s worth of room between them; he felt her suck in her breath. “You leave, there’s nothing keeping us from picking up where we left off before Voight shut it down.”

He locked eyes with her and she held his intense stare. He leaned in, his lips mere inches from hers when he heard his front door swing open.

“You know,” Ruzek started, “you could help us carry some of this crap downstairs. This is your apartment, isn’t it?”

Jay licked his lips and rolled his eyes as he put some space between himself and Erin. “You didn’t have to show up man.” His eyes returned to Erin’s. She was smiling coyly.

Ruzek laughed. “Try saying no to Olinsky. It’s like saying no to your…”

“Think very hard about the end of that sentence kid.” Olinsky paused for a moment before slapping Ruzek on the back of the head. “Back to work.”

Jay shook his head and finally knelt down to grab the full box at his feet. When he was upright again, he gently hip-checked Erin. “To be continued.”

“Maybe… one day.”

“Oh, definitely.”


End file.
